Lifestyle & Travel Blog

The Ultimate Guide to Google+ Communities

(Last Updated On: July 21, 2017)

Just recently I have come across Google+ Communities even though I have been blogging for couple of months now. I guess that blogging is a process that you “learn as you go”. Every blogger out there gives some information but never fully, or maybe they are just sharing what they have learnt so far.

I have mentioned how important it is to share your blog post on different social media in my 5 Myths about Blogging Post. I realized that it is important to pick 2 or maybe 3 social media and try to excel in those platforms. If you try to be active everywhere and participate in every thread you come across you will be drained at the end of the day.

At first I started using Pinterest since that is my favourite app but I got overwhelmed with posting in group boards so Pinterest suspended my account. If you want to avoid that unpleasant experience you should check my article A List of Pinterest Group Boards that Helped me Boost My Traffic.

If you are new to the blogging you should also check my article about the Best Facebook Groups for Bloggers. It is needless to say that these groups are awesome and they offer many threads every day where you can connect with people who share the same interest as you do.

Google+ Communities

Ok, let`s get back to Google + Communities. I will compare them with Pinterest group boards or Facebook Groups. These are communities where the audience is interested in the same subject. The main reason I got so intrigued with Google + Communities was that I was getting traffic even though I was not sharing daily.

Most of the time I am sharing bunch on Pinterest or Facebook but I would share one or two posts daily in different Google+ communities and I got the same results I was getting from sharing on other social media.

Getting Started with Google+ Communities

I suppose you already have a Google+ account, so once you log into your account you will find Communities on your left-hand panel.

Here you can find “Recommended Communities” which are based on your posts and your likes, the ones that you are member of and your communities, if you have created some. You can also search for communities by subject. Once you have found the ones that you desire you can ‘Join’ them or ‘Ask to join’, if you need an admin approval.

If you want to share something in a community you choose the one where you want to share your post, your photo or your video, and you post it, as simple as that.

Create your Own Community

The reason why I like Google+ Communities is that they already have wider audience so I know that if I share my post in a community more people will see it rather than if I share it on my own timeline. The main reason for that is my account is still new and I do not have that many followers.

If you already have a fair amount of followers you can create a community of your own. Simply go to ‘Create a Community’ and pick whether you want your community to be public or private.

If you create public community anyone can join your community and see all the posts within the community. For private communities, on the other hand, people need to request to join, and only the members can see the posts within the community. Once you create a community you cannot change the privacy, you have only one chance to do that.

So whether you want to create your own or join existing communities you will find out that they are invaluable sources where you can not only share your content but you will learn something new as well. Add the Google+ share button on your website so people can easily share your content too.

If you still do not have a blog then you should also check my article where I will explain you how to Start a Successful Blog in Just 3 Easy Steps.

Thank you so much for this post. I have been searching for this kind of straight forward content to boost my posts for ages and it’s normally so over complicated. I’ve actually shared this post with a few of my blogger friends who I know will appreciate the content too!!

Alice

Google+ is the social media I neglect as I feel like nobody uses it! I have literally never seen the “communities” part before. However after reading these tips I feel like it would be worth trying out!
Alice | Dainty Alice

This is extremely useful. Although I have been blogging for an year now, but I have somehow neglected google plus so far. Seems I shouldn’t. Didn’t even think of G+ communities. I am seriously thinking about it after reading your post

Ola

First of all, I definitely need to read your post about how your Pinterest account was suspended. I had no idea such a thing could happen. Second I don’t know much about Google+ however it sounds very much like Facebook groups the way you’ve described it. Perhaps this is something I need to look into in the future.

I will have to take another look at the communities. To be honest, I haven’t shared much there since they changed that you aren’t able to share from your timeline anymore (or maybe I just didn’t figure out how to do it in the latest G+ version).

Great information! I’m very new not only to the blogging world, but to social media as well. Until January, I was only on LinkedIn!! Trying to learn the ins and outs of both blogging and social media all at the same time.